Secrets

Elise, a newcomer to the popular St Geniveves Acadamy blends in well. Making new friends and settling in becomes no problem to her. However, a few weeks of finding her feet is all she gets before the dreams start. Who are the group of youths she is constantly dreaming of and what does it mean?Elise and her newly found friends undertake a journey of mystery to try and discover the meaning behind the strange dreams and along the way they uncover secrets never meant to be unfolded. Is their presence at the academy coinscedental or are there hidden motives behind it all.

1. New arrival

The school definately resembled the pictures presented on its website. The dark depressing grey sky was almost identicle to the photograph and it loomed over the fierce redbricked mansion I had been examing mere weeks before.

We drove up the long winding driveway, thin pine trees shading our way until we came to the large courtyard of the front of the school introduced by a pair of black iron gates rusted in parts bearing the great gold lettering initials SGA, St Geniveves Academy. It was a beautiful building regardless of its eerie exterior. It was very Victorian with its old bay windows scattered around the walls and the highly decorative brick cuttings around the roof. Green and red ivy crawled daintily up the red bricked walls creating colourful patterns making the place seem more welcoming than it did before. It was undoubtably a place for the elite.

As we got out of the car I glanced over at my dad who was staring up at the school in admiration, a huge grin spread across his face almost as if it was a place of great memories when infact he had never attended the school himself, it was my mother.

"Whatever dad," I replied lifting my suitcase then preceeding towards the large front doors. My heart began to beat quickly with nerves as I knocked reluctantly. I hadn't wanted to come here in the first place but my father had given me choice when we recieved the letter through the post. It was a place I knew I would never fit in.

The door swung open almost seconds after I had knocked making me jump. It moved to reveal a fairly attractive older woman, even older than my dad, wearing a black female trouser suit with black kitten heels. Her makeup was subtle however when she smiled in greeting I noticed red lipstick on her teeth. She was either messy or she only worse makeup on rare occasions such as this one, the new arrival of another recruit to her ranks.

"Hello there," she said in a shrill high pitched voice, "you must be Eliise!"

She held a wrinkled hand out to me, which I took sheepishly.

"How do you do?" I replied politely, a mannerism I had learnt from my dad who always said that a young lady with manners was a young lady worth value.

"It's so lovely to see you, and you must be Mr Maurier?"

"Please, call me Jon. I must say Mrs Lavisham your school is most definately a credit to you, it can't be easy keeping a huge place like this up."

Mrs Lavisham beamed looking around her proudly, she definately had a face for compliments.

"It is hard work Mr Maurier but it is work that must be done. Anyway, enough chit chat please come in, come in."

We stepped past her into a very lavish front hallway filled with antique tapestries and statues. I felt like I had just stepped into a more beautiful version of Wuther Heights. Around the walls hung portraits of past head masters and mistresses of the school each with their own history behind them recounted on a small black plaque below each frame. The floor was of white marble that looked as though it had just been polished for it shone brightly. The colours of the school hung from Iron poles sticking out of the wall and the logo was printed on many of the tapestries. A huge staircase lay directly in front of us which branched off into two seperate ones at the top leading into two hallways. I looked around to find many doors surrounding the hall also, probably the different departments where the classes were.

"I can give you a tour of the school later if you would like," suggested Mrs Lavisham obviously seeing me analyse the place.

"You would love that, wouldn't you button?" laughed dad running his hand along one of the brass ornament, "wow, this place is something else. Thank you so much for requesting her Mrs Lavisham."

"Elise is a very special girl Mr Maurier, she will be a huge asset to the school as I'm sure she is to you, you must be very proud to have such a talented young lady. We heard of her amazing achievements in swimming in her last school and also her impressive academic skills, we simply had to have her."

My amazing academic skills? I was no Albert Einstein! In fact, I was a pretty average student ... but I wasn't going to argue.

"So you have a swimming team?" I asked eagerly, excitment suddenly rising.

"Ofcourse we do! Dear heavens did you not see it on our website, it's one of the best in England and you will be our main attraction if you choose to be."

We followed Mrs Lavisham up the main stairway and took the stairs leading to the right at the top. The staircase went on forever, there were many little hallways leading off from them but we never stopped at them, we continued climbing the never ending set. Eventually we cam to a dead end, a door actually, saying in italic gold lettering like that on the front gate 'girls dormitory'.

"I'm afraid this is as far as we can go with you Elise, boys are strictly forbidden and im sure Mr Maurier doesnt want to be left standing here alone. Why don't you go on up and meet your room mates. Each girl is assigned two room mates at random, your's have already been informed of your arrival and have promised me that you will be welcomed with open arms. Your father and I will be in my office if you need anything, I just need a few more papers signed and then you are officially a memeber of the St Geniveve family," she smiled happily, "your room number is 205. I hope you find it to your liking."

After a quick hug from my dad and a kiss on the top of the head I was ready to go. I was almost certain that I seen a tear escape from his eyes but perhaps I ws mistaken.

"See you at halloween button! Be good!" he called after me as I entered into what seemed like a common room.

It was empty at the minute probably because classes were on but it was beautifl. It had a main red leather couch in front of an open fire. I could imagine the students gathering around their on a winters night studying or chatting. There were bookcases everywhere and a large selection of tables for doing homework with books already strewn across it casually. There were two computers at the back of the room beside a telephone labelled 'home calls'. It was a relatively homely place, a place I would be alright.

Beside one of the bookcases I found a door leading the way for the bedrooms. I pushed down the heavey handle and entered a spiralling staircase with more hallways branching off them with golden numbers in the alcoves of the thin hallways arches. Finally I came to 200-220, it was my stop. I nervously walked down the thin stone passageway until I came to 205, an identicle brown wooden door to the several I had passed on the way.

With a deep breath I composed myself and pushed the door open.

This was it, the moment I would meet meet my room mates and it would either make or break my time at the school.